The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century

This book was almost a decade old when the 2016 United States presidential election took place. Analyze that election in terms of the book. What role did the themes discussed in the book play? Look particularly at Part 2, “America and the Flat World.” Do you think America followed Friedman’s suggestions for coping with a flat world? How did this influence the election? Provide evidence to back up your conclusions. 

From Brexit to the renegotiating of NAFTA to President Trump’s trade war with China, free trade has been under attack in recent years. Friedman argues in this book (particularly in Chapter 5) that free trade is good for America and all nations. Is he wrong? Explain why free trade has recently hit a speedbump and whether or not you think it is warranted. Be sure to back up your argument with evidence. 

In Chapter 16, Friedman introduces what he calls “The Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention.” Its basic premise is that globalization helps to reduce the threat of war between nations because they have become so intertwined economically. This idea was also put forth in the early 20th century before World War I. Research globalization during the early 20th century, and compare it to globalization in the 21st century. How are the two eras similar and how are they different? 

China’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001 helped to usher in a flat world. One could argue that this was part of the triple convergence that Friedman discusses in Chapter 3. More recently, some have argued that China has not lived up to the terms of its accession. Do you think it has? Why or why not?

Friedman writes about the ability of online communities to set and maintain standards to “police” themselves. By 2016, this idea became controversial during the alleged interference by Russia in both the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom and the 2016 presidential election in the United States. Who regulates the Internet? Is it enough? Should there be tighter government regulations for public utilities?

Facebook, which is mentioned in passing only three times in the book, was just getting underway as an online phenomenon when Friedman wrote this third edition. Since then, Facebook has become one of the most highly valued companies in the world. Explain how the ten flatteners Friedman discusses in Chapter 2 made the Facebook phenomenon possible. What role did each flattener play? 

To what extent was the 2008 world economic crisis made possible by a flat world? Explain the aspects of the crisis that were enabled by globalization as Friedman describes it. Do you think that globalization made the crisis worse in the end or provided options for containing it? Use examples to explain your reasoning. 

Friedman writes that a flat world intensified the 2003 SARS crisis. However, a flat world can also help to manage public health crises more effectively. Choose a health crisis that occurred anywhere in the world after 2000 and explain how a flat world aided in combating it. Which tools mentioned in the book were enlisted in this effort?